Breaking: 'Office' 2.0 DOA?

It was only a matter of time before all this bleak economic news affected the country’s most famous paper manufacturer.

Sources confirm that NBC’s plan to expand Dunder Mifflin via an Office spin-off has essentially been shredded. In its place, Office exec producer Greg Daniels is said to be creating an entirely different series (possibly a workplace comedy) built around Saturday Night Live‘s Amy Poehler.

The network isn’t commenting, but one insider close to the project says that while The Office 2.0 isn’t officially dead, it’s “definitely not alive at this point.”

For awhile now, there have been signs that the offshoot was in trouble. For starters, NBC announced its plans to extend the Office franchise back in April before producers even had a chance to hash out a premise. Never a good idea. (Adding to the pressure: It was going to debut after the Super Bowl!) In the ensuing months, various ideas were hatched and then quickly tossed in Michael Scott’s favorite file. (You know, the circular one.) “No one could come up with a strong enough concept,” says another source.

There was also apparently some debate as to whether any existing Office staffers would make the jump to the new series. In fact, last month word leaked that NBC had all but signed Rashida Jones (Karen) to headline the spinoff, but the casting was never confirmed by the network.

Still, this may ultimately prove to be a good thing. NBC could have easily rushed some half-assed show onto the air and slapped an Office label on it. But doing so would have weakened the franchise, perhaps irreparably. In other words, it looks like creativity won out over commerce. Woo-hoo!

Agree with me? Or are you just SO warped that the idea of a half-assed Office clone actually APPEALS to you? Sound off below! — Additional reporting by Lynette Rice